Senior defenseman Chris Jones knew that something was building at the University of New England before any of his teammates.
Before committing to the Division 3 school, which is located just a slapshot from the ocean in Biddeford, Maine, he followed the team’s progress through his older brother, Dimitris, who suited up for the team from 2016-20, captaining it as a senior.
“This program has only gotten better and better every year,” said Jones. “(Coach) Kevin (Swallow) has done a better job of recruiting talent every year.”
The program, which played its first season at the D-3 level in 2009-10 – going 3-22 overall – reached a milestone this winter, winning the Commonwealth Coast Conference and then two more games in the NCAA tournament – including an upset of No. 2 Utica, 2-0, on the road in the quarterfinals – to reach the Frozen Four for the first time.
“Pretty special moment for our team,” said Swallow. “We’re really excited to have the opportunity to go up to Lake Placid.”
The Nor’easters (23-3-1), who own a 13-game win streak, will face No. 3 Geneseo (23-3-1) on March 25 in Lake Placid, N.Y. Adrian (Mich.) College will face Augsburg University (Minneapolis) in the other semifinal.
Under Swallow, the Nor’easters have annually been one of the top-scoring teams in Division 3. This year they’re averaging 4.15 goals a game (10th in Division 3) and only one time did they fail to score multiple goals (a 3-1 loss to Endicott on Nov. 13).
But if there’s a heartbeat to this year, it’s a pair of senior defensemen: Jones and Liam Darcy (East Waterboro, Maine).
Though not defensive partners since both are left-handed shots – Jones skates with junior Alex Sheehy, while Darcy is paired with senior Alex Vukota (Edgartown, Mass.) – they each bring elements of offense and leadership.
Captains with senior forward Austin Morgan, Jones has five goals and 17 points while Darcy also has 17 points, all on assists.
“We’ve always been a team known for our offensive play and those two guys contribute a lot of offense for us,” said Swallow. “Both of them break the puck out as well as any defenseman at this level.”
“They both move the puck similarly,” he added. “They make very good breakout passes. In the offensive zone, they’re very different-type guys. Jones is a shoot-first guy. Darcy, I don’t know if he’s had a shot on net all year.”
Darcy did assist on arguably the most significant goal of the season. With his team locked in a scoreless battle at Utica midway through the second period on March 19 and trying to kill off a penalty, he stepped in front of a pass and sent teammate Dan Winslow (Fairfield, Conn.) down the ice for the breakaway goal that would open the scoring.
“Unbelievable pass,” said Winslow, a graduate student and transfer from Division 1 Quinnipiac. “Right on the tape.”
UNE’s practices all season have concluded with a game called “Donkey,” where players take breakaways until everyone has scored on one. Often, one of the last players on the ice still trying to convert his chance is Winslow.
“He’s had a lot of practice and he got it done,” said Swallow.
Billy Girard IV continued his strong season between the pipes with 38 saves. The Nor’easters also knew they had to play disciplined against a Utica team that has a high-octane power play and they did; they took three penalties but gave up a total of just four power-play shots.
And now they’re headed to the Frozen Four.
One of four New England teams (and conference champions) in the 12-team NCAA field, UNE was the only one to reach Lake Placid. It took down MASCAC champion Plymouth State (19-6-2) in the first round, getting a double-OT game-winner from Morgan.
NESCAC champion Trinity (17-8-1) fell to NEHC champion Babson (20-6-2) in the first round, 3-0. Babson then fell behind in its quarterfinal at Geneseo before rallying late in a 3-2 loss.
Swallow, who played at Dartmouth and Maine, came to UNE in 2015 with a proven coaching track record. He’d guided the team at Nichols, which has no on-campus rink, for three seasons, twice winning ECAC Northeast titles.
He took over a program that had plateaued under Brad Holt, but had recently opened the new Harold Alfond Forum on campus, a gem of a recruiting asset. They’ve been contenders in their conference every year and they’re making the most of their third trip to the NCAAs.
The win streak began after a series of January games were postponed or canceled. Their last loss, a wild 8-6 affair to Salve Regina on Jan. 31, forced a rededication to defense that’s been evident these last 1½ months.
Even after playing just four games (all in March) during an abbreviated 2020-21 season, the players knew they had the ingredients for something special this year.
“I think it's something we envisioned,” said Jones. “When we sat down as a team before the season we set our goals. One of our goals was to win our conference. And another was going to the Frozen Four.”
“We were confident we had the group to do it this year,” Darcy said.
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